Air Travel

Jönköping Airport is located 9 km from the city centre and has connections with Stockholm (Arlanda Airport) and Copenhagen (Kastrup Airport), Denmark. To get to and from the airport there is a regular bus service (route 27) to Jönköping city centre. There are also airport taxis.

Alcohol

In Sweden you may only buy alcohol in a shop called Systembolaget. You cannot buy alcohol in supermarkets or any other shop. The kinds of drinks you are able to purchase at normal shops contain very low percentages of alcohol. In order to buy alcohol at Systembolaget, you must be 20 years old and be able to verify your age by showing a valid ID. Non-European residents should note that only a valid passport counts as proof of ID. Ask your nearest Systembolaget shop about valid IDs within Europe.

Alcohol can also be purchased at restaurants and pubs. You must be at least 18 years of age in order to do this.

Allemansrätten - "Right of Public Access"

Allemansrätten, or the right of public access, gives everybody the right to use private as well as public land and waterways for certain activities such as hiking, jogging or boating provided that no damage is caused to the land. You must also show consideration to other people and animals and respect the wishes of private landowners. This means that you cannot walk or sail too close to houses and private gardens. It is also a good idea to ask the landowner if you plan on pitching a tent for more than a short period of time.

Bachelor's Programmes

Banks

All major Swedish banks have branches in Jönköping and it should be possible for you to open a bank account when you arrive. If you open a bank account without a Swedish civic number, you must bring your passport and accommodation agreement to the bank. Make sure to close your bank account before you leave Sweden.

Banks are usually open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. All banks are closed on weekends and holidays. There are several banks located along the main shopping street Östra Storgatan.

Bookshops

Books are generally quite expensive in Sweden, paperbacks included. There are a few bookshops in Jönköping, however, it is also quite common to buy literature online, especially course books. Affordable books can be found on Adlibris and Amazon.

The bookshop “Campusbokhandeln" is located in the Students' House on campus. More information, including opening hours, can be found at the Student Union's website.

Buddy/Contact family

Campus Map

Cash Dispensers (ATMs)

Cash dispensers (ATMs or "Bankomat" in Swedish) can be found all around the city and they normally accept international cards (e.g. VISA, Mastercard).

Cinemas

Jönköping has three cinemas. Filmstaden is the biggest and it screens most of the newest releases. The price for a ticket there is around 100 SEK. Biograf Fokus and Folkets Bio have smaller screens and the price for admission is normally less than at Filmstaden. These two, however, have a narrower programme and fewer screenings. Movies are usually subtitled in Swedish.

Climate

In winter, Sweden only gets a few hours of sunlight. During the shortest days the sun sets around 3 p.m. On the other hand, around the summer solstice the sun does not set until 22.00 and rises at 3 a.m. Average temperatures during the winter are -7°C to +10°C and in summer +20°C to + 25°C.

Clothing

Weather in the South of Sweden is cold from October to April. From November to February you will need winter clothes (coat, gloves, etc.); during these months the temperature will often be below 0°C. The autumn months, September to November, may seem like winter to those students who come from warmer countries. You can, of course, purchase clothes suitable for the Swedish winter when you arrive in Sweden.

For some student events and parties, the dress code can be quite formal; suits/ties and dresses are often worn.

Dates

Dates are often written in the following order: year, month, day, e.g. 12 October 2000 is written 2000-10-12 (or just 001012); or day, month, year 12/10 2000. Dates are never written in the order of month, day, year as in the United States.

Dental Care

Before leaving for Sweden it might be wise to have a thorough check-up at your dentist's. It can be both difficult and expensive to get an appointment with a dentist in Sweden. Should you still need to see a dentist during your stay in Jönköping, the public dental service is Folktandvården (in Swedish).

There are also private dental clinics. See the yellow pages of the telephone directory, under the title "Tandläkare". If you need urgent dental treatment, call any dental clinic and ask for advice.

Please note that dental care is not included in the social benefits.

Diploma Supplement

The Diploma Supplement is a document attached to a higher education diploma aiming at improving international transparency and at facilitating the academic and professional recognition of qualifications such as diplomas, degrees and certificates. At Jönköping University, the Diploma Supplement is issued in English and given free of charge and without request to all graduating students.

Doctoral Programmes

Jönköping University offers Doctoral Programmes in English, available for international students with the required qualifications. Doctoral education is conducted at all four schools and the university has some 220 doctoral students.

Driving in Sweden

If you are over 18 and have a driving licence from your home country, you may use it in Sweden for a maximum period of one year. Note that EU and EEA driving licenses are valid in Sweden and you do not need to trade them for a Swedish license.

Switzerland and Japan are special cases as licenses from these countries can be exchanged for a Swedish one without taking a driving test. Read more about the Swedish driver´s license on Transportstyrelsen (Swedish Transport Agency).

Sweden drives on the right side of the road, and all passengers in a vehicle must wear seat belts at all times. You must also use dipped headlights or special daylight driving lights at all times during daytime.

Sweden's drinking laws are strict. The police can at any time stop a vehicle and perform a breath test on the driver. Drinking and driving in Sweden is not tolerated. When driving in wooded areas, please look out for wildlife, such as elk. From 1 December to 31 March it is a legal requirement to fit all vehicles with snow tires when the driving conditions call for it.

Drugs

The Swedish police take the consumption and/or possession of illegal drugs in Sweden very seriously. The use and/or possession of narcotic drugs is regarded as a criminal offence according to Swedish law and is punishable by fine or imprisonment.

Swedish culture does not tolerate the use of drugs, including marijuana, cannabis, and stronger drugs such as cocaine. The use of drugs is not tolerated in the Swedish society and this includes student life.

Electricity

Sweden uses 220 volts and 50 cycles (Hz), which is the European standard. You may need a transformer and/or an adapter for your electrical appliances, since Swedish outlets differ from, for example, both American and British ones.

Embassies and Consulates

Emergency

In Sweden the emergency phone number is 112 (no area code needed) for ambulance, police, fire department etc. If you use a telephone booth your call is free of charge when you press the emergency button and then dial 112.

Event Tickets

Tickets for different theatre, concert and sporting events in Jönköping and Sweden can be found at ticnet.se

Health Care and the Hospital

Before seeing a doctor it is recommended that you know whether your country has a national insurance agreement with Sweden and, if so, what this insurance covers. If your country does not have an agreement with Sweden, you are advised to take out personal insurance that covers accidents and illness. When you see a doctor, always bring your passport with you and, if you are a European citizen, your European Health Insurance card.

For urgent medical care you are advised to call the nearest care centre, "vårdcentral", or hospital, "sjukhus", before going there to seek treatment.

Insurance

Internet Access

Most student accommodation has access to the internet, however, this cannot be guaranteed. On campus, all computer labs have internet access and there is also a wireless internet connection.

JU Card

The JU Card is your access card to university premises and gives you access to all university buildings, including the computer labs, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The JU Card also functions as your library card as well as your identity card at Jönköping University. Read more about the JU Card

Jönköping

Jönköping is the tenth largest city in Sweden with some 129,000 inhabitants. The city is located in a region characterized by innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. Jönköping is easily accessible by train, plane, bus or car. There are excellent links between Jönköping and the other major cities in Sweden as well as with the continent.

Laundry

There are few launderettes in Sweden as most private households and blocks of flats will have laundry facilities in the building. Check in your building where they are located and ask the landlord to help you if you do not understand how they work.

Dry cleaning is rather expensive in Sweden, so always check the prices first!

Library

Jönköping University has its own library facility where you can find all the help you need such as course literature, foreign newspapers, computer databases etc.

There are also several city libraries, "bibliotek", where you can borrow books free of charge. In order to borrow books you will need a library card. The library staff will help you acquire one if you bring your passport with you the first time you borrow books. The main library is at Dag Hammarskjölds plats 1. It has books, newspapers and magazines in foreign languages.

Master's Programmes

Jönköping University offers Master's Programmes taught in English, which are designed to enable students to acquire knowledge and skills essential for a successful professional life.

Museums

Newspapers

Jönköpings-Posten is the local newspaper and it is published six days a week (Monday-Saturday). National morning newspapers are Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet and evening papers are Aftonbladet and Expressen.

For international newspapers, visit the University Library or one of the city libraries. Pressbyrån, at the railway station, also sells some international newspapers and magazines.

Pharmacy

At the pharmacies (apotek) you can buy prescription and non-prescription drugs as well as health-care products. The staff can also give you general medical advice. Some non-prescription drugs can also be bought at the supermarkets.

There are pharmacies at the health care centres, in the city centre and at the A6 Shopping Centre. They are usually opened on weekdays 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Police

In case of emergency, call 112.If you want to report something stolen, have any questions about passports, etc., you can visit the local police station on Vallgatan 3-5 or phone: 036 - 114 14.

More information

Post Office

Sweden's Postal Service has pick-up and drop-off points in shops containing post offices ("kiosk"), shopping centres and petrol stations, as well as yellow mailboxes in many convenient locations. In the post office you can buy stamps and envelopes and also register your mail and send express mail. Post-services are normally available during the shops' opening hours.

Public Holidays

New Year's Day (Nyårsdagen) 1 January Epiphany (Trettondagen) 6 January Good Friday (Långfredagen) in March or April Easter Sunday (Påskdagen) in March or April Easter Monday (Annandag Påsk) in March or April May Day (Första maj) 1 May Ascension Day (Kristi Himmelfärdsdag) a Thursday in May National day (Nationaldagen) 6 June Midsummer's Day (Midsommardagen) a Saturday towards the end of June All Saints' Day (Alla helgons dag) a Saturday in early November Christmas Day (Juldagen) 25 December Boxing Day (Annandag jul) 26 December

In addition to these official holidays, Midsummer's Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are holidays for most government employees and many others.

Registration Extract

Scholarships

Read about scholarships at Jönköping University on the scholarship pageThe Swedish Institute also has information regarding scholarships available to international students and researchers on their website www.studyinsweden.se

Ski Slopes

There are several smaller ski slopes around Jönköping; Järabacken in Jönköping, Strutsabacken in Huskvarna, Knaggebo in Mullsjö, Isaberg in Hestra (45 minutes by bus) and the slopes in Ulricehamn (30 minutes by bus). The International Association arranges ski trips for students.

Smoking

Smoking is not allowed inside buildings. This includes public buildings, companies, restaurants, pubs, schools and even your accommodation. If it is allowed to smoke in a building, you will find signs indicating it. You should normally go outside if you want to smoke.

Sports

Jönköping Student Union has a sports club called JUSA. This club arranges many activities, such as volleyball, soccer, badminton and floor ball.

Jönköping has other sports centres and gyms in the city, and most offer a student discount:Friskis&Svettis

Racketcentrum offers various activities like tennis, squash, a climbing wall and bowling arena.

HV 71 is the Swedish professional ice hockey club in Jönköping. The team, which remains in the top division has won the national hockey championship several years. Ice hockey in Jönköping is popular. If you want to attend a HV71 match you can buy tickets on www.ticnet.se or by calling 0771-46 25 390771-46 25 39.

Student Union and Associations

The Student Union works with internationalization and integration. It organizes social activities and tries to provide international students with a deeper understanding and a richer experience of Swedish society and culture. The union organizes different types of events, for example dinners and trips around Sweden and Scandinavia. For those interested there is a Contact Person Programme (Buddy Programme) as well as a Contact Family Programme arranged by the student union.

There are a number of student associations within Jönköping Student Union, including sports and a choir. The Student Union also has its own night club, Akademien, open every Wednesday.

In addition, each school has its own student association. At JIBS it is JSA, School of Education and Communication has LOK (former SPJ and INFO), at School of Engineering it's called HI TECH and at School of Health and Welfare it's Hälso Sektionen (SUSHI).

Student Union Fee

The fee for the student union is obligatory for both Swedish and international students.

Taxi

A taxi ride is quite expensive in Sweden; a ride from Jönköping airport to Jönköping city centre costs 200-250 SEK and takes approximately 10 minutes.

Telephones

Most international students in Sweden choose to use Skype and mobile telephones with pay-as-you-go SIM cards from Swedish companies, which can be topped up online or at a newsagent. If you don't want to buy a mobile phone in Sweden it is often possible to use a phone from your home country with a Swedish SIM card. Make sure that the phone is not locked to your previous operator.

If you use the public phones, you can use coins (1, 5 and 10 SEK) in some of them, and in others you need to have a telephone card, which can be bought at any newsagent.

If you want to call Sweden from abroad, the country code is +46. The area code to Jönköping is 036. If you dial from abroad, you exclude the zero, and just dial 36.

If you want to call abroad from Sweden, the code is 00 followed by the country code.

Television

TV programmes in foreign languages are not dubbed, but have Swedish subtitles. The most popular Swedish TV-channels are SVT1, SVT2 and TV 4. Most apartment areas have serveral TV-channels.

Theatres

The main theatres in Jönköping are Smålands Musik och Teater, Tändsticksomådet, phone: 036-34 81 00 and Jönköpings Teater, Hovrättstorget, phone: 036-16 10 30. Check the local newspaper, Jönköpings-Posten, if you want to know what plays are on. When you buy tickets, do not forget to mention that you are a student to obtain a discount.

Time Zone

Sweden has Central European Time (CET), GMT +1. Daylight saving time (GMT +2) applies from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October. Times are written according to the European system, e.g. 1 p.m. is written 13.00.

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Tourist Information

The tourist information office has information about sights, concerts, theatres and other events in Jönköping and its surroundings. Their office is located at Resecentrum (by the railway station) and the telephone number is 036 - 10 50 50.

Travel within Sweden

The railway station is located in the middle of Jönköping city centre. The train company SJ runs most of the railway lines in Sweden. For information about tickets or national arrivals and departures, please visit www.sj.se or phone: 0771-75 75 75. Tickets can also be bought at the railway station and you are entitled to a youth discount until the day you turn 26.

University Chaplaincy

There are many places of worship in Jönköping. Some conduct services in languages other than Swedish. If you have questions regarding religious groups or traditions, please contact the University Chaplaincy.

Visa

Visas for Sweden are required for citizens of some countries, check with the nearest Swedish Embassy or consulate in your country of residence. The application must be done in your home country, before entering Sweden. The Swedish Migration Agency is responsible for visas, residence permits and extensions of permits.

Water

Tap water in Sweden is of very good quality, tastes good and is safe to drink.